Once the wedding present of a queen, the preserved
medieval town of Óbidos lying 100 km north of Lisbon is without
doubt one of Portugal's most classic walled settlements. Walking the
ramparts, visitors can enjoy views of windmills, vineyards and surrounding
farmlands. In the residential area below, narrow cobblestone streets
are lined with whitewashed houses sporting terracotta roofs. The shops
are piled high with local handicrafts, while in spring the town is ablaze
with geraniums, morning glories and bougainvillaea.

town dominated by its 12th-century abbey. The restored
monument houses the ornate tombs of Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro,
the star-crossed lovers whom legend treats as the Romeo and Juliet of
Portugal. Inside, visitors will find the exquisite Cloister of Silence.
Of equal importance is Batalha, located
73 miles north of Lisbon and a short drive from Óbidos and Alcobaça.
Its highlight is the stunning monastery built in the 15th and 16th centuries,
a true masterpiece considered to be among the finest structures in Southern
Europe. The tombs of King João I, his English wife Philippa of
Lancaster, and their sons (including Henry the Navigator) are located
here.

SIGHTSEEING

Resembling an open-air museum, this walled
medieval town has been preserved to look like a picture-postcard, with
its monuments, narrow winding streets and white-washed houses with windows
and terraces full of flowers. From Porta
da Vila, the southern town gate whose interior is decorated with 18th
century tiles, to Rua Direita, a street filled with small shops where
visitors can buy traditional ceramics, wicker baskets, miniature windmills
and hand-made embroidery and woollen articles, and to the 15th century
royal castle that has been converted into an inn, Óbidos seems
to go back in time to the days when the Court visited the town.

The massively-towered castle has now been converted into an elegant
Pousada. It was
the first one to be adapted and restored from a historical monument, itself
a monument of national importance.Carmo
Church (Romanesque-Gothic)Santa
Maria Church Famous for being the site where the 10-year-old Afonso
V married his cousin aged 8, also boasts exquisite 17th-century tiles
and a fine Renaissance tomb

Misericórdia Church (15th-18th centuries) and São
Pedro (18th century).St. Martinho
Church Nearby, Senhor
da Pedra Sanctuary. Also worth
seeing are the works of Josefa de Óbidos (a 17th century artist
that lived most of her life here), displayed in the Municipal Museum